'Of Vrosiutto.

Lord and Lady Palmerston casually passed through Northampton last week, on their way to visit some property at Duston. Both in going and returning they were spontaneously feted at Northampton. While stand- ing on the platform of the station awaiting the London train, Lord Pal- merston entered into conversation with the farmers—on the price of wheat, on war and peace. The Northampton Mercury reports, that he assured his hearers that the state of the army hospitals is excellent ; that Sebastopol will itself afford ample shelter, if required, for winter ; that the power and pretensions of Russia shall be humbled before peace is made. "His Lordship talked with great animation and apparent enjoy- ment?' Among his audience was an argumentative miller, says the local paper-

" Upon Mr. saying, My Lord, we want a peace,' Lord Palmer-

ston replied, with a 013, I see you are one of the _Manchester sehooL So there are some of those gentlemen here, are there?' Upon which the farmers set up a tremendous shout of laughter. His Lordship then pro- ceeded to converse most affably with those who surrounded him. Among other things, he naïvely observed, Some of you thought we should never have high prices again. Nevertheless, somehow or other, prices are remunerative now.' In a word, all who beard his Lordship went away. with the impression, as indeed more than one was heard to say, that 'His Lordship is a very nice man, quite agreeable and familiar "

One of the Agricultural Societies of Lancashire has its head-quarters at Padiham ; and on Thursday week the sixth exhibition of the Society was held there—the best known in its history. At the dinner which followed the show,—Mr. Nicholas Sterile junior in the chair,—Sir James Kay Shuttleworth made a speech in proposing the health of the Magistrates and gentry. He treated of the contrast between foreign and British Agri- culture; deriving one portion of his materials from recent travel on the Continent in search of health.

Sir James described how in France and other countries cattle are bred chiefly for purposes of labour, while in England we rear and feed them for the milk and meat they yield. Thus, while foreign cattle are large-boned and strong, ours have small bones, round forms, and great bulk. The prin- ciple of selection in breeding has been precocity of growth; and thus our cattle are ready for the butcher at the end of two years, whereas French cattle are kept at work for many years. In sheep we have preferred the production of meat to that of wool; yet although the French have preferred wool to meat, the value of the fleece in England has been as great as in France, while the value of the meat in England is double that in France. At the same time, the produce of our corn-land is at least double, in many cases threefold the amount produced on the same quantity of land on the Continent. He considered that a large .part of our success in -agriculture is due to the good feeling that has subsisted between the proprietorsand tenantry. "I do not think that sentiment which is, I am afraid somewhat gaining in this country is a correct one, that the relation of landlord and tenant should be strictly confined to the mere terms of a bargain—that they should be reduced to the mere principle of self-interest. I do think that those as- sociations which keep the tenantry connected through generations with a particular estate, which maintain sentiments of respect to the family to which that estate belongs, and confidence in the proprietor, are a happy part of our English constitution, and one of those features which we look in vain for abroad. Happily, this country has not been desolated by revolutions ; happily, the estates of the great proprietors of this country have not very rapidly changed hands; happily, we have not introduced into this country that exceeding subdivision of property by which it has been cut up into small parcels, too small even for the comfortable support of families. Hap- pily, there still remains an opportunity, upon extensive farms and extensive properties, for the largest applications of capital, and for experiments which could not be conducted either by men of limited means or low intelligence ; and, though I am the last person to desire that the land of this country should not be rendered more accessible to monied men, and even to the as- piring of the middle and lower classes, still I do congratulate the country that we have not given way, under the torrent of revolutionary principles, to any such sudden changes as have occurred abroad, which have broken up the estates of the country into divisions too small for the successful applica- tion of capital." He concluded by a eulogy on the English system of agri-

culture i

; which has played so great a part n making "the condition of Eng- land one to be envied by the rest of Europe."

The annual dinner of the Royal Bucks Agricultural Association was held at Aylesbury on Wednesday; Mr. William Lowndes in the chair. Mr. Disraeli was present and made a short speech—containing not one word about polities. The topic he treated was the old one of the bene- ficial social influence of these societies. A peasant, he said, was no more degraded in receiving a reward of skill than the general officers were who the other day in the Crimea received decorations for bravery. These agricultural societies are social, not scientific institutions, and have a good influence upon the feelings of the labouring classes of the district. Sir Harry Verney also spoke on a branch of the same topic.

The Commissioners for carrying out the provisions of the Oxford Uni- versity Reform Act have been 'holding a series of meetings, in a room in the old Clarendon Printing-office, set aside for that purpose by the Vice- Chancellor. The object of the meetings is to receive from several col- leges schemes of reform, previous to the 10th of October, when the powers of self-reform granted to Colleges under the above act expire. The Col- leges whose schemes have not previously been sent in are, we understand, University, Balliol, Merton, Exeter, Oriel, Corpus, Pembroke, and Wor- eester. The Commissioners—the Earl of Harrowby, the Earl of Elles- mere, the Lord Bishop of Ripon, Sir John Taylor Coleridge, the Dean of Wells, and Sir John Wither Audry—commenced their labours on Tuesday morning, and continued them on Wednesday and Thursday ; they will not, it is believed, be brought to a conclusion until this evening. It is rumoured that the scheme of more than one of the above Colleges has been rejected by the Commissioners altogether. Should any College neglect to exercise the powers granted by the Act before the first day of Michaelmas term, it will devolve on the Commissioners to frame such ordinances and regula- tions as shall appear to them to be necessary or expedient for the purpose of effecting or promoting the objects which the College was empowered to effect or promote. Such alterations to be laid before the College to which the same relates, and the visitor thereof, two calendar months be- fore they are submitted to her Majesty in Council ; and if, within that period, two-thirds of the governing body of the said College shall declare that, in their opinion, such ordinances and regulations will be prejudicial to such College as a place of learning and education, then they shall not take effect; but the Commissioners may submit other alterations for the like purpose, and so on as often as occasion shall require. The Commis- sioners have been assisted in their arduous duties by the Reverend Samuel Wayte, B.D , follow of Trinity College, and Mr. Goldwia Smith, M.A., fellow of University College, Secretaries to the University Commission.— Deify News.

The Bishop of Exeter has fired off a heavy shot at Ministers for advising the Queen not to issue the usual Queen's letter to the clergy. At a recent meeting of the Exeter Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, the Bishop noticed the fact in this wise—

"It is painful indeed to see that the support has been withdrawn which the religion of this country has been in the habit of receiving from the tem-

poral head of all in this country, both in Church and State—I mean not the head of the Church alone, because the Queen is no more the head of the Church than the State, nor in any other sense—but the Crown was wont to regard the Christian religion as preeminent in this land ; and I am exceed- ingly sorry that the illustrious lady who has shown such distinguished re- gard for the interests of her country should be so circumstanced with regard to her counsels that she cannot concede to us the position in which those who have gone before have placed us. It is for us to consider that, while we deeply regret their decision, we cannot be so unjust, we cannot act so contrary to our own feelings, as to express our approval of an act which, I must say, I think is the abandonment of a first duty, and does not add to the dignity of the illustrious lady who wears the crown. She has been advised, most unfortunately as I think for her own credit, unfortunately.for the interests of the country, unfortunately for the honour of the Crown, which they were specially bound to protect. They have unhappily determined to advise the Crown to oast off all connexion with any society in connexion with that Church of which she is bound by the constitution of this country to be a communicant—of that Church whose rights she is bound to protect; but this was not a right, we had no actual right to it, and therefore I do not mean to impugn it as a departure from constitutional duty. I do, however, say, that the constitution points to the duty of the Ministers of the Crown to advise that in all respects the Crown should act in a manner most likely to advance the interests of the Church of England. Now the Church of England, it is a great and illustrious body, but it is nothing compared to the Church of Christ in the world. This is a blow struck, it may be by some miserable enemy of the Church of England, which strikes at the Church of England it is true, but strikes not less at the Church of Christ. It refuses to give the sanction of the Crown of England to a cause in which justice is the highest degree conspicuous ; and it refuses also to recommend the favourable con- sideration of the Crown towards a Church in the performance of its greatest duties. It is, I must think, a most unfortunate thing on the part of her present advisers. Whatever their reasons may be, and I will not suppose they are other than such as commend themselves to their own conscience and duty, yet as an Englishman I think, and as an Englishman I venture to say, they are regardless of the feelings which Englishmen entertain."

A testimonial, consisting of a group of figures executed in silver, was publicly presented, on Tuesday, to Mr. Samuel Courtanld at Braintree, "in commemoration of the wisdom, courage, and public-spirit with which he conducted the Braintree church-rate contest, through sixteen years of litigation, from 183 to 1852, and finally established the necessity of a vote in vestry to legalize a rate, and the right of a majority to negative its imposition." Most of the prominent Nonconformists and active oppo- nents of church-rates were present, and Sir William Clay filled the chair.

Taunton has been the scene of a close and vigorous church-rate con- test. A rate was demanded to supply 20004 in addition to 1000/. pre- viously voted for the "repair," or " restoration " as some term it, of St. Mary's Tower. The opposition rebelled ; some thinking they were imposed on, others objecting in toto to church-rates. Fought with the acerbity of a borough election, the rate was negatived, on a poll, by the narrow majority of 420 to 414.

The colliers of Penywatin, in South Wales, have administered a punish- ment which will perhaps be more effectual than the legal "six months" in repressing wife-beating. A collier having struck his wife, a number of fellow workers seized him, set him astride a plank, and paraded him round the neighbourhood, while an accompanying crowd caned him. Then be was admonished on the wickedness of his conduct, and induced to fall on his knees and promise never to beat his wife again.

There has been a fatal " accident " at the Summenieat station of the East Lancashire Railway : a passenger-train ran into a luggage-train standing at the station. The guard of the luggage-train was killed, and several Passen- gers were hurt.

Thomas Tutton, accused of administering doses of poison to his father, at 13th, has been fully committed.

Government has offered a reward of 1004 for the conviction of the mur- derer of the child at Clifton.

Three wretches have been properly punished by the Skipton Magistrates for cruelty to a horse. When the miserable animal was dying from disease, they savagely beat it to compel it to drag a heavy load—the horse fell deed. The worst offender was sent to prison for three mouths, the others for two months.

Mr. Creswick the actor has unfortunately been the innocent cause of a friend's death. He was shooting, near Reigate, with his co-lessee Mr. Shep- herd and that gentleman's brother John ; when about to pass over a hedge, the party proceeded to put down the hammers of their guns for safety ; Mr. Creswick bad put down one, but as he was letting duwn that of the second barrel the charge exploded, and entered the body of Mr. John Shepherd. The Coroner's inquest pronounced the death "Accidental."

There have been some serious collisions between the German Legionaries and the Royal Marines quartered at Gosport, originating in a public-house quarrel. Hard knocks with staves and belts were plentiful, and even wounds with knives were inflicted.

Bewley, an engine-tenter at a colliery in Gateshead, has been killed by the explosion of a boiler, supposed to have resulted from his neglecting to supply water properly : other four men were badly scalded.

Three quarrymen have perished in Llanberis slate-quarry, while sinking a shaft. One of them fired a charge of gunpowder, aud died from suffoca- tion; a second and third miner who descended to ascertain what was amiss shared his fate.